The operator-controlled devices for optical imaging systems known from the state of the art can be subdivided into essentially two function groups.
For example, operator-controlled consoles having operator-controlled elements belong to a first function group. From these operator-controlled consoles, control commands, which activate motoric functions, are transmitted to the imaging system, for example, a microscope. Such operator-controlled consoles can, in addition, be equipped with means for displaying the controllable functions and the set values achieved in each case. Furthermore, operator-controlled elements are also disposed on the imaging systems themselves from which, at least in part, the same functions can be activated so that operator control is possible directly on the imaging system, but, as required, also separately therefrom.
It is disadvantageous here that the configuration of the operator-controlled elements as well as their arrangement on the operator-controlled console do not correspond to the configuration and arrangement of the operator-controlled elements which are positioned directly on the imaging system. Thus, for example, a joystick is present on the operator console for focusing the beam path of a microscope objective onto an object to be viewed; whereas, on the microscope, a horizontally-arranged focusing drive having rotation transducers is provided.
A second function group includes separate operator-controlled devices wherein, for example, the focusing drive control and stage drive control are modeled after the rotation transducers and sensitively operable operator-controlled adjusting elements on an imaging system as, for example, in microscopes manufactured by Leica and Nikon. However, these operator-controlled devices do not supply any feedback as to whether a set value, which is pregiven from the operator-controlled device, was actually adjusted on the microscope. Disadvantageously, it is therefore necessary that the operator during the work with such a microscope must keep an eye on the operator-controlled device (for inputting the set values) as well as the microscope (for controlling the set values). Furthermore, the apparatus complexity is relatively great because operator-controlled elements are there in duplicate, namely, on the imaging system itself and on the operator-controlled device.
Furthermore, the operator does not have the possibility, in accordance with his own judgment, to undertake adjusting options, which are selected with the same operator-controlled elements, either directly on the imaging system or from the operator-controlled device and to change this selection depending upon the object viewing task to be solved or to variably adapt the selection to his wishes.